[Image: “Forest and Sun” (1926) by Max Ernst.]
When I first saw this painting—“Forest and Sun” (1926) by Max Ernst, a composition and theme he continually revisited and changed over the course of his career—I mistook the tiny white squiggles in the lower right for a procession of human congregants or religious pilgrims, people approaching a huge, alien landform out of some strange act of homage or scientific curiosity. Alas, it’s just Max Ernst’s signature.
Whatever you’re approaching in 2023, may it be unfamiliar, potentially threatening, and new.
The squiggles form 1926. The forest immediately brought Richter to mind.
A very, very belated thanks for the heads up re: the painting’s date, by the way!
Meant Kiefer. Elaborate? If 2023 permits…